How far do you dare push the envelope of comedy? Seth Rogen gives Borat some competition as he takes it to the limit in Observe and Report, which earns its R-rating for profanity, memorable male frontal nudity and in-your-face violence. Seth isn’t apologizing for going for laughs in low places or letting the fun take a dark turn. Q: How come the girls keep their clothes on, but there’s an endless chase scene through the mall in which a flasher let’s it all hang out? A: The reason we don’t have bare breasts in our movie is that they don’t get laughs. I think American Pie was the last movie to have boobs and laughter in the same scene. Now it’s all about penises. Breasts are out and the male organ is in. And when you saw my naked butt in Knocked Up, I knew that would get a laugh because it sometimes gets me laughs in real life. Q: What was it like to chase a naked guy through a mall? A: Bizarre. Between takes there was a lot of time with me and him just standing there, being like, ‘What the hell are we doing, man? This is insane. It’s so weird.’ Then they’d say, ‘Action.’ and he’d do a Batmanesque move and throw his trench coat open like a cape and expose himself. Q: Speaking of exposure, you have a few steamy bedroom scenes with Amy Faris, and you’re looking buff. What’s your secret? A: It’s a tapeworm. You don’t believe that? How about bulimia? What you see is not muscle. I can kind of shape my fat to look like muscle. That’s one of my real acting skills. Q: Word is you did a lot of your own stunts. A: I’m like a paunchy Jew. If I can make it look possible, well then what are the stunt guys getting paid for? If I can throw a punch then Mel Gibson’s not that impressive. So when it came to a lot of the action, I figured why not just go for it? Q: Did you connect with a guy who’s fed up with the world and the hand that he’s been dealt? A: I think we all have those ‘I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore’ moments. We watched movies like Network, Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy where the characters have bleak outlooks on the world and just want to do something to change it. Those are some of my favorite movies and they don’t make them anymore. Q: Ever wonder if you’re going too far to be funny? A: I think if it gets a laugh, then no. Nowhere on my radar is the thought, ‘Is this movie good for society?’ To me, if it’s funny, it’s good for society. If it’s not funny, it’s bad for society. I think it was funny. It’s a movie. It’s supposed to entertain people. We keep on pushing and we haven’t hit that limit so it’s working so far. I think major studios are acknowledging that people like this stuff. Just because it’s not necessarily safe or easy to categorize, doesn’t mean people won’t go see it. What always shocks me when we do these test screenings is that, generally, women like it more than men, which is never what I would imagine.